For the first time in nearly two months, Little Rock Wrestling returns to the Jack Stephens Center on Saturday evening, hosting No. 15 Missouri in a ranked showdown on Hometown Heroes Night. The dual is set for 6:00 p.m. and will stream live on FloWrestling.com and the FloSports app.
The Trojans enter the weekend after opening conference play on the road at Oregon State on Jan. 23. Saturday's matchup begins a challenging stretch to close the regular season, with Little Rock also traveling to Stillwater on Feb. 6 to face No. 4 Oklahoma State. The Trojans will finish the season at home with Pac-12 duals against CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 8) and Cal Poly (Feb. 15).
Little Rock is expected to be without
Stephen Little, the nation's No. 3 wrestler at 197 pounds, while
Jaivon Jones (No. 18 at 157) is also likely to miss his second consecutive dual after sitting out against Oregon State. In Little's absence,
Liam Daniels is projected to face Missouri's No. 9 Evan Bates at 197, one of several high-profile matchups on the card. The Tigers are expected to put as many as eight ranked wrestlers on the mat.
"We're excited to wrestle Missouri again. They whooped us pretty good at national duals, so we have to get our lick back," head coach
Neil Erisman said. "If we show up and compete how we're capable, we can do just that. I'm also pumped about Hometown Heroes Night … always great to honor those who have sacrificed so much."
Saturday marks the second meeting of the season between the programs. Missouri defeated Little Rock, 34-6, in mid-November at the Paycom National Duals, ending the Trojans' run in the event. Up to four rematches could take place, including a ranked bout at 149 pounds between No. 27
Brock Herman and Missouri's No. 18 Josh Edmond.
This will be the third all-time meeting between the schools, with each program earning a win in the previous two matchups, both of which were contested at neutral sites.
As part of the Hometown Heroes celebration, all first responders and military personnel may receive up to four complimentary tickets by calling the ticket office at 501-916-3257. Halftime recognition will include a Veteran of the Game and a faculty honoree for Faculty/Staff Appreciation.
Probable Matchups
125 –
Tyson Roach or
Tyler Harper vs. #16 Mack Mauger
133 –
Dillon Cooper vs. #27 Gage Walker
141 –
Brennan Van Hoecke vs. #28 Zeke Seltzer
149 – #27
Brock Herman vs. #18 Josh Edmond
157 –
Kyle Lew or
Marco Dalakishvili vs. #16 Teague Travis
165 – #5
Matty Bianchi vs. J. Conway
174 –
Bronson Baxter vs. #10 Cam Steed
184 –
Kodiak Cannedy vs. #3 Aeoden Sinclair
197 –
Liam Daniels vs. #9 Evan Bates
HWT – #31
Michael Gasper or
Kaden Darwin vs. Jarrett Stoner
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